NORWICH – Efforts to restore the railroad that spans Chenango County took another big step forward Wednesday with a resolution of the Chenango County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) to accept grant funds that will likely lead to trains running through the area again by 2014.

A special meeting of the CCIDA was called Wednesday to vote on acceptance of grant funding from the Federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) in the amount of $4.7 million to repair the 45.54 miles of the Utica Main Line, operated by the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation (NYS&W), that runs from the southern end of Greene to the northern end of Sherburne.

According to officials, grant funds from the EDA will cover 80 percent of the cost of the restoration project, currently estimated at $5.897 million. EDA funding supplements additional grants awarded to the CCIDA in 2011 from the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) in the amount of $772,422. Remaining costs of $407,080 will be footed by private and local agencies: $58,755 from the CCIDA; $112,500 from the Development Chenango Corporation; $150,000 from Chenango County government; and $85,825 from NYS&W.